"But… you can't…" her teacher said while looking at her.
"…without a recommendation, that is!" she added, raising a finger dramatically.
"Recommendation…?" Urara tilted her head in confusion.
"Yes, Urara. You need someone to recommend your efforts or performance in order to join such an elite academy," her teacher explained.
"That means you need someone reliable from this—" she then dramatically pointed at the floor, "from this very school to promote you, to commend your achievements, and reinforce the claim of why you belong in such a prestigious academy."
"Then… and only then… you're allowed to have a chance, not guaranteed, to enroll in that school."
"Otherwise, Urara… they won't even bat an eye at your application before it reaches the officials," her teacher finished with a shrug.
"Whoa! That's sure a lot of work!" Urara exclaimed.
Her teacher's brow twitched.
"…And that's what bothered you…?"
"Anyway…" her teacher cleared her throat. "Are you sure about it, Urara? Can you really find someone to vouch for you? To give you their recommendation letter?"
"Unlike Mary, she's got coaches, teachers, and even officials to back her up—people willingly to recommend her," she continued. "But Urara, you barely achieved anything that caught the eyes of the officials."
"Meanwhile, you're barely known, Urara... Even if they do, doubtfully they will vouch for you..."
She then sighed, "So, how are you going to convince anyone to recommend you?"
"Mary is literally the talk of the town, Urara… You're going to have a difficult time enrolling in such a prestigious academy without an achievement worth mentioning or at least… having recommendations like hers..."
With that, Urara immediately slipped into her thinking mode, "Hmm…" rubbing her chin while sitting beside her teacher, her feet swinging beneath the bench.
"So… what do you think, Urara?" her teacher asked. "Are you sure you're going to—"
Before she could finish, Urara suddenly beamed.
"I know someone!"
Her teacher blinked in shock.
"Wai— What?! Really?!"
Urara turned toward her with a wide grin.
"I got you, teach!"
She raised her fist confidently.
"You can be my recommendation!"
"Wh— WHAT?!" her teacher shouted in shock.
"Yo— you know— I— I…" she stuttered, trying to reject Urara.
But Urara had already jumped to her feet, bouncing excitedly on the spot the moment the idea came out.
"Teach is going to vouch for me, right? RIGHT?!" Urara asked eagerly while bouncing.
"WH—WHAT?! N— N—" her teacher tried to refuse.
But the words caught in her throat.
She fumbled for excuses.
Yet none came.
Not when that little pink creature was looking at her with complete trust.
Not when Urara's optimism was so pure that it felt almost cruel to crush it.
And so...
Her mouth kept opening and closing.
"I— N— YOU— WHAT—?" Unable to refuse...
After several minutes of fumbling—
Eventually, she gave up.
Her shoulders slumped.
"Fine…" she sighed in defeat.
The moment Urara heard that, she burst into excitement.
"Whoa?! Really?! Yeah!" Urara cheered, bouncing even more energetically on the spot.
"Hey…!" her teacher quickly turned toward her.
"Just… don't tell anyone, okay?"
Urara immediately stopped bouncing and tilted her head.
"Why…?"
Her teacher let out another tired sigh.
"Just don't... tell anyone."
Then she crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Or I'm not going to vouch for you!"
"Roger that!" Urara saluted immediately.
Her teacher sighed again.
"If that's all you want to say," she continued, "just pack up and go home already. You already gave me enough headaches for today..."
She then turned to her watch.
"Besides, it's getting late… So, you'd better get home before you reach your curfew," she added.
But before Urara obeyed her request, she suddenly realized something.
She gasped.
She then quickly set her backpack down and began rummaging through it.
After a moment—
She pulled out a pen.
Then immediately started filling out the form right there on the bench.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
After a flurry of scribbling, Urara lifted the paper proudly and held it out in front of her teacher.
"Done, Teach! That form you asked us to fill out!"
"What—?" her teacher blinked in surprise. "Wh— What— I thought I told you guys the deadline was tomorrow."
"Yes, I know!" Urara nodded happily.
"Then… what's the hurry?"
"Well, I just want to make sure I don't get left behind, that's all!" she beamed, "Since Young-chan, Lin-chan, Mary-chan, and Rush-chan have already handed theirs in, I can't be caught slacking!"
"Huh…? Is that why you handed it in this early…? Unbelievable..." her teacher said, face-palming.
She sighed again.
"No matter…" she said as she accepted the form. "This form is not that important anyway."
"What you need now is the application form from Tracen Academy," her teacher continued. "Your graduation is near, Urara. You don't want to miss the date for the enrollment now, do you?"
"And… I would've never thought you would pass your final exam…" she added. "Given your previous atrocious performance, I guess it's a first for anything."
"Well, I got help!" Urara replied with her usual grin.
"Right… Anyway, skedaddle now, you little imp. Go home before you pass your curfew. I'll see you tomorrow, Urara," her teacher said, already shooing her away.
"Okay!" Urara saluted once more before hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders and dashing off.
Only a brief moment, her footsteps already fading away.
Now—
Her teacher remained, sitting alone on the bench.
The can of black coffee still rested in her hand.
There, she let out another tired sigh, "What a day..." before taking another sip.
Then—
The moment it touched her lip...
"God damn, it's bitter!" she revolted.
...
...
Meanwhile… on another side of the school.
Mary was on the track with her trainer.
As she crossed the finish line, she slowed down and came to a stop, bending slightly as she caught her breath.
Her trainer then, eagerly with a bottle of water in hand, walked toward her.
"Nice work, Mary! You've been improving a lot ever since!" he exclaimed, already extending the bottle toward her.
Mary accepted it and drank quietly.
"It's been years for us to train together, hasn't it, Mary?" the trainer said casually.
"Too bad it's the final year for you here…" he added.
"If only I got the license to train you at Tracen," he then rubbed his nose proudly with a smug, "...wouldn't it be nice?"
Meanwhile, Mary paid him little attention, only replying with a short,
"Another…" after a sip, and already putting down her water bottle, walking back toward the track without waiting.
Her trainer sighed.
"You're still the same from the day I met you, ain't ya?"
"All stern, no conversation, no chit-chat… Just training," he added with a small shrug as he followed behind her, "Don't you ever feel bored?"
Mary immediately stopped and turned slightly toward him.
"I am merely stationed here to train, not for any profligate chit-chat."
"If that is what you crave in a trainee, then you'd better envisage another trainee who might respect that provision of yours," she added, "Otherwise... keep it to yourself, train—"
"Okay… okay… You win," her trainer replied, already surrendering, "Let's just... keep training, shall we?"
With that, they both resumed their walk quietly.
Approaching the starting line again.
And the moment they arrived, Mary already lowered herself into her racing stance. Preparing.
"Eager as ever, aren't we...?" said the trainer with a weary smile, already pulling out his stopwatch from his pocket.
"Alright... On your mark," her trainer added.
"Get set…"
"GO!"
And immediately, Mary burst forward like the wind.
After years of repetitive training, her strides were faster, stronger, and more precise than ever.
Every movement carried a gustier determination.
Every step carried a wilder spurt.
Yet—
In her mind, one vision remained—
To become the perfect Umamusume. To fulfill her father's wish.
As she moved across the track like a blade cutting through butter.
So smooth that even her trainer almost lost count of her laps.
Until—
As she entered the fourth lap—
Something tightened in her left ankle.
Something felt… strange.
And something felt... painful?
With that, her speed instantly dropped.
And her flawless form was shattered immediately.
Her steps became uneven, messy—nothing like the perfect tempo she had moments before.
Still, she pushed through and finished the lap before stopping abruptly.
Meanwhile, her trainer, still unaware of what had happened, glanced down at his stopwatch.
"Oh! Mary, I think you might've slipped a little," he said casually.
"You were slower by a few seconds compared to your record."
He looked back up at her.
"Do you want to go again?"
As her trainer continued talking, Mary bent slightly, catching her breath.
A wave of sharp stings was pulsing through her left foot.
She then slowly pressed it against the track to test it.
To apply pressure to it.
Expecting it was merely a cramp...
But suddenly—
Pain shot through her, causing her to yelp in response.
Her trainer immediately noticed.
"Mary! Are you alright?!" he shouted, rushing toward her as he dropped the stopwatch.
But the moment the stopwatch fell.
In Mary's eyes—
The world seemed to be slowed.
Noises fade.
Vision blur.
Until—
The device hit the ground.
*Crack*
And the glasses shattered across the track.
And for a brief moment—
It felt as if something inside her had shattered, too.
Something inside her had died, too...
...
...
Then, right as she was about to fall, her trainer reached out just in time, supporting her.
"Are you alright?!" the trainer worried.
But Mary shoved him away immediately.
"Get away!" she growled.
"I'm fine!" she insisted through clenched teeth, struggling to steady herself.
"I just… need a break…"
She staggered toward the nearby bench and sat down heavily.
"Are you sure, Mary?! It could be worse if we didn't—"
Before her trainer could finish suggesting the infirmary, Mary snapped.
"Shut up!"
"I'm… fine!" she insisted. "I'm always fine…"
"Just… just let me rest, and I'll be back to training in no time…" she muttered.
Her trainer frowned. His hands slowly curled into fists.
"But, Mary, please... listen—!"
"I said I'm fine! Just... let me rest, okay?!" she shot back immediately.
With that, her trainer backed away slightly, watching Mary as she remained on the bench, breathing harshly while constantly trying to apply pressure to her foot.
Trying to excuse herself from injury, but responded with pain instead.
A silence was then settled between them, broken only by a few wincings of pain from Mary.
Then, it persisted for minutes...
Until—
"I'm sorry, Mary," her trainer finally snapped, "I will not train you in this state."
"I'm calling it for today. Go get your foot checked," he added. "Otherwise… our training session is over."
Mary gritted her teeth.
"But I said I'm fine—!" she protested.
Her trainer raised a hand, cutting her off as he began packing his things.
"See you tomorrow, Mary," he said.
"And I'd better see that you've gotten your foot checked. Otherwise, I can't train you anymore…"
"…Not when you're like this. Not when you destroy yourself in the process."
With that, her trainer lifted his training kit onto his shoulder.
"Come," he said, extending his hand toward her. "Let's get you home."
Mary then lowered her head, slapping his hand away.
"No…" she growled.
"You go on ahead," she added coldly. "I will stay… and train myself if that is to be the necessary for my training. Until my training session is truly over, that is."
"You can't—!" her trainer protested.
"You have no say in this," Mary cut him off sharply. "Now go!"
The trainer froze.
He clutched the strap of his kit and stared at her in disbelief.
"Mary, you can't—!"
"I SAID GO!" she shouted again, already pointing directly toward the exit.
The trainer hesitated.
His jaw tightened.
For a moment, he looked ready to argue again—
But then he realized—
He truly had no authority over her decision.
Not when he had only been assigned to train her on her own terms—never the other way around.
Not when he had only been assigned to train her because she allowed him to do that—never would he make the decision.
With that realization, he lowered his head in frustration, clutching his hands before turning away.
He cursed under his breath as he slowly left the track.
Leaving Mary alone by the bench.
Sitting.
Sulking.
Only a few minutes... his footsteps already slowly faded into the distance.
Then disappeared entirely.
Leaving only the silence settled across the track with Mary.
Mary then resumed testing her footing without waiting.
Carefully, she pressed her left foot against the ground again.
In response, a sharp pain shot through it once more.
She winced.
"Damn it… What's happening to me…?" she muttered under her breath, quivering in pain.
Then... she decided to catch a breather from the pain, and waited a little longer before testing it again...
...
...
A moment later, she finally regained a little of her mobility.
Then slowly she pushed herself back onto her feet.
Determined, she attempted to step forward—to run again.
The moment she put more pressure on her left foot—
Pain exploded through her ankle again.
She stumbled.
And collapsed.
Her body slammed onto the track.
Mary curled into herself, trembling, clutching her leg as the pain surged through her.
She remained there.
Quivering.
After a moment of trying to recover again, Mary finally, slowly pushed herself up from the ground.
On all fours.
Then—
She slammed her fists into the track.
"Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!"
Her curses echoed across the empty track.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Not like this... NOT LIKE THIS!"
She then started striking the track, cursing and crying all at once.
Again.
And again.
And again...
Then—
With one last violent slam against the ground, accompanied by a loud guttural curse—
A pair of footsteps approached.
Stopping right behind her.
A soft, confused voice followed.
"Mary-chan…?"
Her eyes widened immediately.
Her ears twitched as it turned toward the voice.
She knew that voice.
The one voice she did not want to hear right now.
The one voice she did not want to face right now.
The one voice she shouldn't be hearing right now.
The one...
...and only.
Urara's.
Standing behind her, clutching her hands near her chest, head tilted with concern.
"Mary-chan…?" she repeated.
"What are you doing…?"